African countries, which collectively represent the largest coherent voting bloc in the General Assembly, can play a critical role in defining the Sustainable Development Goals – a central pillar of the post-2015 agenda. That's what the President of the General Assembly Vuk Jeremić said in a statement to the African Union Executive Council Summit in [...]

Partners in a campaign launched in 2010 to address the major health challenges facing women and children around the world are increasing. That's what United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who launched the campaign, said in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders have gathered for the World Economic Forum. The global effort, known as Every Woman Every [...]

Education is a priority for Ban Ki-moon during his second term as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. That's what Mr. Ban told world leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland during a session on the global education imperative on Friday. He said that education empowers people and transforms lives, fosters growth [...]

The UN Security Council has been urged to facilitate the deployment of the African-led Support Mission in Mali, AFISMA. The request was conveyed by the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for West Africa, Said Djinnit, during a briefing to the Council on Friday. He said that the military intervention by France at the request of the [...]

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is renewing its appeal for urgent scaling up of aid for hundreds of thousands of people now displaced by the war in Mali. The agency hopes the aid will prevent the worsening of an already acute, fragile humanitarian situation across the Sahel. Gerry Adams reports. Duration: 2’34″

A dedicated trust fund has been set up by the United Nations to boost youth volunteerism and harness the energy of young people around the world to contribute to achieving development goals while enhancing their own lives. The new youth trust fund is an important milestone in developing the inspirational UN Youth Volunteers Programme. The [...]

A record number of Syrian refugees have crossed the border into Jordan, with 30,000 people having arrived at the Za'atri camp since the beginning of the year. That's almost twice the number that arrived in December and three times the figure for October. Just yesterday, 4,400 refugees turned up at the camp. And in the [...]

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says the rising number of abductions and kidnappings of refugees in eastern Sudan is probably one of the worst forms of human trafficking in the region. UNHCR says that refugees, mainly from Eritrea, are allegedly being abducted or kidnapped by border tribes. The kidnapped refugees are held for ransom [...]

As the number of people fleeing the Syrian crisis continues to rise, neighbouring countries are doing their best to cope with the influx. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is preparing to open a new camp in Jordan which will house up to 30,000 people. UNHCR says a record number of Syrians have already crossed into [...]

There's a warning that while the intensity of the financial crisis may appear to be receding, jobs' markets are giving completely different signals. ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said that the dire jobs situation shows the crisis is far from over. Speaking during a panel discussion at the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland, Ryder [...]

The UN children's agency (UNICEF) has appealed for more than $1 billion to help children in humanitarian crises around the world. The agency says the money is needed to meet the immediate, life-saving needs of children in 45 countries and regions gripped by conflict, natural disasters and other complex emergencies this year. Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's [...]

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is renewing its appeal for an urgent scaling up of international aid for the hundreds of thousands of people now displaced by the war in Mali. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says this is to prevent a worsening of the now acutely fragile humanitarian situation across the Sahel. [...]

The UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) is appealing for $76 million to help hundreds of thousands of people affected by a typhoon that caused massive destruction in the Philippines last year. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says Typhoon Bopha, known locally as Pablo, which swept through the island of Mindanao between 4 and [...]

The UN Security Council has sharpened sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to the launch of a missile in December which defied Council bans on the country's use of nuclear technology. The measures include a travel ban and asset freeze on officials from North Korea's space programme, as well [...]

The United Nations aims to achieve an increase of at least 20 per cent more women police officers in peacekeeping by 2014. That's according to Anne-Marie Orler, the UN Police Adviser. In this interview conducted by UN Radio's Donn Bobb, she says women police officers play a critical role in combating the scourge of [...]